A peace order in Maryland is a civil District Court order that protects you from someone you don’t have a family or intimate relationship with — a neighbor, coworker, acquaintance, or stranger — who has harassed, threatened, stalked, or harmed you. You file a petition describing a qualifying act that happened within the last 30 days, and if a judge is persuaded, the final order can require the respondent to stay away and stop all contact for up to six months.
Who a Peace Order Is For
Peace orders exist for conflicts outside the domestic sphere. If the person harming you is a current or former spouse, a family member, someone you’ve lived with, or someone you’ve had an intimate or sexual relationship with, you need a protective order instead, which carries broader relief such as temporary custody and exclusive use of a shared home.1Maryland Courts. Peace Orders A District Court clerk can confirm which petition fits your situation if you’re not sure.
Qualifying Acts and the 30-Day Rule
A judge can only grant a peace order if the respondent committed one of the acts listed in the statute, and it must have happened within 30 days before you file.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1503 The qualifying acts are:
- An act that places you in fear of imminent serious bodily harm
- Assault of any degree
- False imprisonment
- Harassment
- Stalking
- Trespass
- Malicious destruction of property
- Misuse of telephone facilities or electronic communications
- Revenge porn (nonconsensual distribution of intimate images)
- Visual surveillance
Older incidents can still appear in your petition as context showing a pattern, but the petition itself must rest on something that happened in the last 30 days. Miss that window and the court cannot grant relief based on that incident.
How to File
Pick up a Petition for Peace Order (Form DC-PO-001) at any District Court clerk’s office or download it from the Maryland Courts website.1Maryland Courts. Peace Orders You’ll need the respondent’s full name and, if possible, a current address so law enforcement can serve them.
Describe what happened in concrete terms: dates, places, what the respondent said or did. “On March 12, the respondent followed me from my office to my car and said he would hurt me” gives a judge something to work with. Vague descriptions of being “bothered for weeks” do not.
The filing fee is $56 for a temporary peace order.3Maryland Courts. District Court of Maryland Cost Schedule If you can’t afford it, ask the court to waive it.
Evidence and the Standard of Proof
At the temporary stage, the judge needs only “reasonable grounds to believe” the respondent committed a qualifying act and is likely to do it again.4Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1504 At the final hearing, you must prove your case by clear and convincing evidence. That is a higher bar than the “more likely than not” standard used in most civil cases, so bring everything you have.
Useful evidence includes screenshots of threatening texts, emails, or social media messages; photographs of injuries or property damage; call logs showing repeated unwanted contact; copies of any police reports; and witnesses who personally saw or heard what the respondent did. Organize everything by date so the judge can follow the timeline without piecing it together.
The Three Hearing Stages
Depending on when you file and how fast the respondent is served, your case may move through up to three stages.
Interim Peace Order
If you need protection when the clerk’s office is closed, go to a District Court Commissioner. Commissioners are available around the clock. If the commissioner finds reasonable grounds, an interim order issues on the spot and a judge reviews the matter on the next day court is in session.5New York Codes, Rules and Regulations. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1503.1
Temporary Peace Order
File during business hours and a judge reviews your petition the same day, often without the respondent present. A temporary order can direct the respondent to stop contacting you, stay away from your home, workplace, and school, and refrain from threats or harassment.4Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1504 Law enforcement serves the respondent. The temporary order lasts up to seven days after service, and the judge can extend it up to 30 days if service is proving difficult.
Final Peace Order Hearing
The final hearing must happen within seven days after the respondent is served with the temporary order, unless the court continues it for good cause.6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1505 Both sides present evidence and testimony. The respondent can challenge your account, call witnesses, and cross-examine you. If the respondent was properly served and doesn’t appear, the judge can proceed and rule based on your evidence alone.
The judge can skip straight to a final hearing when the respondent is already present at the initial hearing or has been served with an interim order, resolving the matter in one step.4Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1504
What the Judge Can Order
If you prevail, the final order can include:6Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1505
- A no-contact provision barring the respondent from contacting or attempting to contact you
- A stay-away provision keeping the respondent from your home, workplace, school, or temporary residence
- A prohibition on committing or threatening any of the qualifying acts
- An order directing either party to attend professionally supervised counseling, or mediation if both sides agree
The judge must limit relief to what is “minimally necessary” to protect you, so your final order won’t necessarily include everything on that list. A final peace order can last up to six months from the date it issues.
What Happens if the Respondent Violates the Order
Violating a peace order at any stage — interim, temporary, or final — is a criminal misdemeanor.7Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1508 A first offense carries up to a $1,000 fine, up to 90 days in jail, or both. A second or subsequent offense carries up to a $2,500 fine, up to one year in jail, or both. Prior convictions for violating a protective order under the Family Law Article count toward the “subsequent” threshold, so someone with that history faces the higher penalties on a first peace order violation.
Officers with probable cause to believe someone is violating a peace order are required to arrest, with or without a warrant. You don’t have to request a contempt hearing first. Call police the moment a violation happens.
Extending or Changing a Peace Order
Either party can ask the court to modify or rescind a peace order during its term, but the court must give both sides notice and hold a hearing before making any change.8Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1506
If the six-month term is ending and you still need protection, file a motion to extend for another six months. The judge must find good cause after a hearing. File before the current order expires and, if the court cannot schedule the hearing in time, the existing order is automatically extended and remains in full force until the hearing happens, so you don’t lose protection in the gap.
Two Situations Worth Knowing About
Maryland law lets employers file a peace order on behalf of an employee, volunteer, or independent contractor who is being threatened at the workplace.2Maryland General Assembly. Maryland Code Courts and Judicial Proceedings 3-1503 The employer must notify the employee before filing, and cannot retaliate against an employee who declines to provide information or testify.
If naming your home address in court filings worries you because someone is stalking you, Maryland’s Safe at Home Address Confidentiality Program through the Secretary of State provides a substitute address and mail forwarding, and state and local agencies must accept the substitute in place of your real one.9Maryland Secretary of State. Address Confidentiality Program Disclosing a participant’s actual address is a misdemeanor carrying a fine of up to $2,500.